Trying Again
by InTheTARDISJustAsItShouldBe
Summary: The Doctor has changed considerably since he last had a family. 10.2/1 Doctors.


**I do not own Doctor Who**_  
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The Doctor and Rose Tyler lived in a comfortable home in a good neighborhood. They had a daughter named Adela (it means 'noble', a tribute to the woman who gave him life), a son named Mickey (since the original was back in the other universe, never to be seen again), and a dog named Spot (because he had a spot).

One day, Adela was looking through the TARDIS library. The wonderful time-and-space capsule had been recently rebuilt and had replicated everything that had ever been catalogued on the original. In her browsing, she came across a battered journal. The cover was inscribed with messy Gallifreyan, which she had, with difficulty, been able to decipher. It had belonged to her half brother – the Doctor's first son. The journal was over eight hundred years old. '_What kind of a man was he back then?_' she wondered. Some of the words were worn and messy, but she could still understand the gist.

_Today I went on a field trip to the Library. I have a test next week on the theoretical applications of temporal fissures and I really don't know what that is. My teacher expects us to teach ourselves, and he doesn't give us any direction. My father went in and had a serious talk with the man. He's always saying:_

_"Our lives are important – at least to us – and as we see, so we learn. Our destiny is in the stars, so let's go and search for it." _

_He picked me up early and took me to Yed'don 8 instead. Their research center in the Quanpa system is making remarkable scientific advancements in the area I need to study about. I got to see firsthand the technologies which were quickly progressing from theoretical to do solid fact. It was amazing to experience the things I only read about in textbooks. However the reactor thought differently and began to overload. We ran back to the (stolen) TARDIS. I was terrified; I could swear that I was going to die. I'm not ready for my first regeneration yet, I'm too young! I have so much left to do in this body! As father plotted the machine back to Gallifrey he said, "Don't worry, my boy! Fear itself is largely an illusion. At my age, there is little left to fear; there is nothing here that can harm us."_

"Adela, time for supper!" Rose called.

She snapped the journal closed and stuck it in her bigger-on-the-inside pocket. She would read the rest later. They had a relatively normal meal – for them at least – which meant that there was only six rude noises from Mickey, a few whines from Spot, only three almost-kisses between her parents ('_can't they wait until _after_ dinner to jump each other?_'), and just two food-poisoning scares. All in all, it was a standard evening. As they finished up, Rose began to clear the dishes, Mickey ran off with Spot to one of the gardens, and the Doctor went to go tinker.

"Hey, Addy, care to join me?"

She shrugged and followed. Adela was quite brilliant, and definitely a fast learner. She loved it when her father asked her to help. They could spend hours fiddling with controls and rerouting wires. They never ran out of things to talk about. Under the console she had learned seventeen languages, enough mathematical principles to fill entire volumes of books, and how to insult three hundred and thirty eight species without uttering a word. They laughed and they sung; they made up games and caused unintentional explosions. Yes, it was more fun learning hands-on than simply reading.

He walked her to her room at well past midnight, and only by Rose's insistence. She was tucked in snugly and he placed a sweet kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," he murmured. In the hallway, Adela heard a muffled 'you sound like my mother', and then the door closed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the journal again. The TARDIS, fully supporting her actions, turned on a dim light.

_Today was my day off. My father took me to Earth. It's marvelous! We went horse riding and dined with beautiful ladies. There's something about Earth women that is completely fascinating. There was one gorgeous woman which I only saw at a distance; I wanted to go talk to her, but my father wouldn't let me, saying something along the lines of, "You can't rewrite history; not one line!"_

_ Apparently her name is Madame de Pompadour, and she's some historical figure which I can't interfere with. Oh, he's so frustrating sometimes! He has so many rules: no creating paradoxes, no changing history, and no having fun. I'm sure that if _he_ were the one to interfere it wouldn't be such a problem._

_ Of course, like with any trip we go on, we find trouble. I think he enjoys it too much._

_ "We're always in trouble! Isn't this extraordinary? It follows us everywhere!"_

_ I think 'the Troublemaker' is a more accurate name for him than 'the Doctor'._

_ Once we returned home, he tried to teach me to play four-dimensional chess. I _think_ I understand it, but it's incredibly dull. I don't like it. Maybe if I tell him it's fun he'll make a rule against it._

The next day they went to Barcelona. It was intended to be a family outing, but Mickey got sick. Not wanting to spoil the trip, Rose offered to stay behind and nurse him back to health in the infirmary. Adela and the Doctor spent a lovely morning in the park where he had landed the TARDIS. They had seen many noseless dogs and many jokes were made (_they don't smell!_). The day was lovely, until they came across a mean old lady who could only be compared to Cruella De Vil. They stopped her from killing masses of puppies and saved the day. Yes, she agreed with the Doctor's son; he _did_ enjoy danger and adventure. But then again, so did she. And Rose. And Mickey. And Spot. They were a family perfectly suited for each other.

_My father finally left. He decided I was old enough to be on my own, and left in his stolen TARDIS. I told him that he couldn't leave, that he was being cruel and that he belongs here on Gallifrey, with his family. He looked at me with the intensity of the Oncoming Storm and replied, "Your ideas are too narrow, too crippled! I am a citizen of the _universe_ and a gentleman to boot!"_

_ He complained that he can't stand it here, that he despises our culture. We are Time Lords. We have a certain way of doing things. Why can't he just accept that? I know the university would love to have him; he's a genius even by our standards. But more than that, he is my father._

_ Except he's a grumpy old man with a young man's life inside him, and that's just _fine_. He can have his _own_ adventures. See if I care. _

_Do you want to know what his goodbye was?_

_"One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine."_

_ And then he was gone._

_ My niece Susan says she's going to call him. She wants to go with him. I doubt he'll come for her. _

A few tears were threatening to fall. Adela closed the book and went to get a cuppa. She needed to clear her head.

"Oh, there you are; I was looking for you. I found a disk missing between the control plate and the stabilizing bolt, and I was thinking that –" He noticed her red eyes and rushed to her side, pulling her into his arms. "What's wrong?"

She told him of the journal and of her fears. Why had he left his family? Were they not enough for him? _'Is he going to leave us too?'_ If he couldn't even stand staying with his superior Time Lord family, why would he stay with this mostly human one?

"Oh, no, no, no, no. No. Absolutely not. Why would you think that?! I love you all so much! I was young and foolish back then. So much has happened since. I truly hate myself for what I did, but there's nothing I can do to fix that. What I _can_ do is try again; I _will_ be a good father to you."

She smiled. Of course he was a good father, he was _her_ father.

"I love you daddy!"

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**I don't know how I feel about this one, but my friend said it was good so, there you have it. Please let me know what you think, good or bad!**


End file.
